In an existing RFID network, an RFID tag is read by an RFID reader via an RFID reader antenna. The RFID tag must be in close proximity to the RFID reader antenna to retrieve data from the RFID tag, particularly if the RFID tag is passive (does not have a self-contained battery). However, if the RFID tag physically moves around in a large area, the tracking of the RFID potentially requires that a large number of RFID antennas be deployed in all the areas that the RFID tag traverses. The specialized RFID infrastructure that needs to be deployed in a large scale can be very expensive. If an RFID tag can be read using other existing wireless technologies, such as Wi-Fi, UWB, Zigbee, or cellular, the cost of deploying specialized RFID infrastructure can be substantially minimized.
Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus for providing an RFID repeater in a wireless packet switched network.